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(No Model.)

R. W. WHITEHURST.

BALING PRESS.

Patented July 24,1883.

. Invenfor T Vitnesses:

By [3.MWV

1 AZZOTI 10y,

N. PETERS. Phom'Lnlwumphen Washinglnn. D. c.

UNITED STATES:

P T T OFFICE.

ROBERT W. \VHITEHURST, OF NORFOLK, VA., ASSIG-NOR OF TXVO IHIRDS TOAURELIUS WVRENN AND MCDONALD LWVRENN, OF SAME PLACE.

BALlNG-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 282,017, dated July 24,1883. Application filed May 18, 1983. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.- Be it known that I, ROBERT W. WHITE-aHURST, a citizen of the United States,residing at Norfolk, in the countyof N orfolk and State of l Virginia, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Baling-Presses, of which the} following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to certain improvements in presses for baling hay,cotton, and other an ticles, and will first be described, and then des-I ignated in the claims. I

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the press. Fig. 2 is anend elevation. Fig.

1 3'is a view of the large stirrup. Fig. 4 is a view of the smallstirrup. Fig. 5 is a view of the oscillating stirrup-actuator. Fig. 6 isa view of one of the movable ends.

The letter A designates the foundation-frame;

B, the press-box; 0, two vertical beams at each end; D, the movable orhinged top; E, hinged sides, and F the follower-beam. is attached to theend of the follower-beam, and is wound on a cone-drum, H.

2 The mounting for the cone-drum, the means for securing the movabletop, and other details of construction are sufficiently described inLetters Patent of the United States issued to me November 28, 1882, N 0.268,334, and the 0 same need not therefore be again described iere.

The upper part of the press-box, where the hinged sides are attached andwhereat the finished bale is removed, is provided with movable endpieces, I, which have at one side top and bottom cross-bars a. At eachend of the press-box is an opening or space, 0, entirely across the endbetween the two opposite hinged sides E and the vertical beams O. Theinner side of each vertical beam has two notches, b, each adapted toreceive one of the cross-bars on the end pieces. The parts are also soarranged that the cross-bars a may rest against the inner side of thebeam, just below the notches, as shown inFig. 1. This is the position ofthe parts when the baling operation begins. It will be seen that thefollower is down, the hinged sides are closed, and the movable endpieces are in contact with the hinged sides.

Now, upon the follower being raised by winding the chain, thecompression of the bale is A chain, G,

' effected, and is nearly or quite completed when the follower hasarrived at the lower edge of the hinged sides. \Vhen the follower hasreached or passed beyond this point, (as the case may be, according tothe construction,) it will come in contact with the lower edge of themovable end pieces, I, and the continued rais- 5 ing of the followerwill have the effect to raise the end pieces until the cross-bars acoincide 6 with the notches b, whereupon the cross-bars will enter thenotches-the end pieces them selves moving laterally, caused so to do bythe pressure thereon occasioned by the condensed bale. The effect of theend pieces moving lat- 6 erally and away from the bale, is to so relievethe pressure at the end of the press-box that the compressed bale may beeasily removed when the hinged sides are opened.

Heretofore in many presses, after the two 0 hinged sides have beenopened and the pressure of the follower has been released, the bale hasbeen held fast by the ends. My above-de scribed improvement, it will beseen, obviates this difficulty.

Another feature of my present invention relates to the mechanism forturning the ratchetwheel L. A metallic stirrup-actuator, K, is pivotedin a suitably-shaped bearing or bracket, N, and is thereby adapted tooscillate. At So each end of the upward-projecting plate is a hole, andnear the center of the plate, above the pivot, is another hole, 0. Astirrup, O, is pivoted at the hole in the outermost end of the plate,and one of the two arms of the stir 8 5 rup is on each side of theratchet-wheel,while the cross-piece f at the end connecting the two armsengages with the teeth of the ratchet wheel. A smaller stirrup, P, ispivoted at the hole in the opposite end of the plate, and also 0 engageswith the wheel. Thus each end of the oscillating actuator carries apivoted" stirrup. The large stirrup O has sufficient space between thearms to admit the small stirrup, as shown in Fig. 1. A flange, K,projects from 5 the oscillating stirrup-actuator and supports a lever,B, which is bolted or otherwise made fast to the flange. The lever Bprojects both ways, and each end serves as a handle. By this means andthe arrangement of the stirrups IOO either or both ends of the levermaybe manned, and when the lever is in motion one of the stir rups isalways at work pulling on the wheel. WVhen the front end of the lever ispulled down, the large stirrup does duty andrthe small stirrup rises,and vice versa. The wheel, therefore, is kept turning all the time, thusgreatly facilitating the operation of raising the follower. A weight,19', on the end of an arm rigidly attached to the small stirrup servesto keep the latter in engagement with the wheel. This arrangement of theactuator and lever and one of the stirrups provided with an arm having aweight permits the pivoted stirrups to project upward, whereby thismechanism for operating the ratchet-wheel may be placed below saidwheelf Thus in a construction of the kind shown, where the ratchet-wheelhas necessarily an elevated position, the lever may have position lowdown,where a man can work it conveniently. The hole a in the oscillatingactuator, located between the two end holes, is to permit the smallstirrup to be shifted from the position shown in Fig. l and pivotednearer the center of the actuator, in which latter position it would, byan ordinary move of the lever, catch only one ratchet-tooth, and alsohaving more leverage at this point, the mechanism would require for itsoperation less power. Nhere but one man is working the lever, and he atthe front end, the attachment of the small stirrup at the hole 6 lessensthe labor at the lifting movement of the lever.

The brackets N are secured to the proj ecting ends of a beam, 1',extending lengthwise of the press, and under each end of the beam is anupright stud, s, which supports it.

Having described my invention, I claim and desire to secureby LettersPatent of the United States- 1. In a baling-press having the usualfollower, a press-box having at its upper part, whereat the finishedbale is removed, end pieces adapted to be moved by the follower,wherebythe pressure on the end of the bale is relieved, as set forth.

2. In abaling-press, the press-box having at its upper part, whereat thefinished bale is removed, movable end pieces, each provided withcross-bars'a, and the vertical beams provided on their inner side withnotch es b, where by, when the bale, has been compressed, the end piecesmay be raised until the bars enter the notches, thereby allowing the endpieces to move away from the bale, as set forth.

3. The herein-described mechanism for op erating the ratchetwheel,consisting of the oscillating stirrup-actuator K, a large stirrup, O,pivoted at one and a small stirrup, P, pivoted at the other end, andhaving attached thereto an arm with a weight, 1), as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT XV. WHITEHURST.

Witnesses:

L. B. ALLEN, L. H. SOLATOR.

